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Rheinmetall Defence Australia has announced a supply agreement with Victorian manufacturer and SME Nezkot for the delivery of products and services to the company’s bid for the LAND 400 Phase 2 program.
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The privately-owned precision tooling and engineering company will provide Rheinmetall with purpose built welding assemblies and parts for the construction of a LANCE turret to be used on the BOXER CRV for Risk Mitigation Activity (RMA) trials in the LAND 400 program, currently underway at Puckapunyal, Victoria.
Rheinmetall Defence Australia and New Zealand managing director Andrew Fletcher said the expertise and products supplied by Nezkot were used in preference to similar capabilities on offer from Europe.
"This agreement is among many offered by Rheinmetall that demonstrate how Australian SMEs can become part of a major defence program and work on a vehicle that is at the leading edge for lethality, mobility and survivability," Fletcher said.
"Nezkot is a proven leader in Australia’s precision tooling and engineering industry and is committed to investing in research and development.
"We welcome the Nezkot team as part of our bid for LAND 400 Phase 2 and look forward to the successful completion of the RMA trials."
Nezkot business manager - aerospace and defence Adrian Sansonetti said the company was "thrilled" to be working with Rheinmetall.
"The BOXER CRV is the most advanced military vehicle of its kind, and being able to support this platform ensures our team will be working on cutting-edge technology," Sansonetti said.
"We are very proud of our armed forces and knowing that they will be equipped with the best technology – and that we will be part of it – is a very special feeling."
Nezkot was established in 1987 as a tool making and high precision engineering business that today works across major industries including aerospace, defence, mining, automotive and construction.
Under Rheinmetall’s Land 400 offer to the Commonwealth of Australia, the company will establish a sovereign industrial capability for military vehicles in Australia to underpin an enduring strategic relationship between the Commonwealth of Australia, the Australian Army and defence industry.
Currently the largest supplier of military vehicles to the Australian Defence Force, Rheinmetall will establish a military vehicle centre of excellence (MILVEHCOE) for the continuous design, build and support for up to 10,000 military vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region, drawing on a supply network across Australia to deliver products and services locally and into Rheinmetall’s Global Supply Chain.
LAND 400 Phase 2 RMA is on schedule for completion in August 2017. The RMA includes a 12-month test and evaluation program of the Rheinmetall and BAE Systems Australia Limited vehicles. It will also investigate options to improve Australian industry involvement in the LAND 400 program.
The purpose of LAND 400 is to acquire and support the next generation of Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV) with the firepower, protection and mobility to defeat increasingly lethal and adaptive adversaries well into the future.
